Slovakia’s Federation of Employers’ Unions and Associations has stated that its members are ready to compensate a possible difference in costs between Western vaccines against the coronavirus registered in the European Union and the Russian Sputnik V preparation if on Thursday the country’s government decides to purchase it for use in Slovakia without the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) certification, the SME newspaper reported.
The Federation which unites 11,000 employers providing jobs to more than 300,000 residents of the republic with the population of approximately 5.5 mn noted that efficacy of the Russian vaccine amounts to 91.6%. This is one of the largest organizations in Slovakia. Since early February, it has been insisting on the soonest purchase of Sputnik V by the country’s government, citing the example of Hungary which became the first EU country to use the preparation.
Press secretary of the Russian embassy in Slovakia Vladislav Kulikov told TASS earlier that the republic’s residents express an increased interest in Sputnik V and have been addressing the diplomatic mission asking about opportunities to get inoculated with the Russian preparation.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister of Slovakia Igor Matovic said that the country’s government will discuss the possibility of purchasing Sputnik V on Thursday, TASS reports.